With the continued adoption of technological advancements, consumers have become more willing to provide access to their financial account information. Consumers routinely perform their banking transactions via ATMs or online bank websites, and likewise purchase goods and services via e-commerce websites. The luxury of completing such transactions online or via machines is premised on the consumer having access to his or her payment card and/or account information, and most importantly, being identified as someone with the authority to complete that transaction.
There are times, however, when a consumer is in distress and loses access to his or her payment card, such as a credit card and/or account information. These situations can become particularly dire if the consumer loses his or her account information while traveling. One who is at home could go to his or her local bank for a quick resolution (e.g., receive a temporary payment card, or a replacement card). However, while traveling, finding a branch of the particular financial institution for which the consumer has an account can be difficult, particularly if traveling overseas.
Currently, when a traveler loses his or her payment card and/or cash, the traveler can call his or her card issuer, and the card issuer may wire a certain amount of currency to the traveler in some fashion (e.g., Western Union). However, wiring currency has associated costs requiring the traveler to pay a nontrivial amount of money to receive the wired funds. Further, depending on the traveler's location, it may be difficult to get to a location to receive the funds. Thus, it can be appreciated that travelers may be unwilling to pay a nontrivial fee to receive their own money, and/or may be unable to easily locate a financial institution for the purpose of receiving the wired money. In addition to wiring funds, the payment card issuer can issue a replacement card to the traveler, and mail the card to the traveler at his or her current location. However, the card typically takes 24 to 48 hours or more to be delivered to the traveler. It can be appreciated that a traveler may be unwilling or unable to wait that long to use his or her payment card.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.